Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to ophthalmic surgery, and more specifically, to vitreoretinal membrane characterization using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Description of the Related Art
In ophthalmology, eye surgery, or ophthalmic surgery, saves and improves the vision of tens of thousands of patients every year. However, given the sensitivity of vision to even small changes in the eye and the minute and delicate nature of many eye structures, ophthalmic surgery is difficult to perform and the reduction of even minor or uncommon surgical errors or modest improvements in accuracy of surgical techniques can make an enormous difference in the patient's vision after the surgery.
Ophthalmic surgery is performed on the eye and accessory visual structures. More specifically, vitreoretinal surgery encompasses various delicate procedures involving internal portions of the eye, such as the vitreous humor and the retina. Different vitreoretinal surgical procedures are used, sometimes with lasers, to improve visual sensory performance in the treatment of many eye diseases, including epimacular membranes, diabetic retinopathy, vitreous hemorrhage, macular hole, detached retina, and complications of cataract surgery, among others.
During vitreoretinal surgery, an ophthalmologist typically uses a surgical microscope to view the fundus through the cornea, while surgical instruments that penetrate the sclera may be introduced to perform any of a variety of different procedures. The surgical microscope provides imaging and optionally illumination of the fundus during vitreoretinal surgery. The patient typically lies supine under the surgical microscope during vitreoretinal surgery and a speculum is used to keep the eye exposed. Depending on a type of optical system used, the ophthalmologist has a given field of view of the fundus, which may vary from a narrow field of view to a wide field of view that can extend to peripheral regions of the fundus.
In addition to viewing the fundus, some surgical microscopes may be equipped with optical scanners to provide additional information about portions of eye tissue involved with the vitreoretinal surgery. The optical scanners may be optically or electro-mechanically integrated into the surgical microscope. One type of commonly used optical scanner in ophthalmology is optical coherence tomography (OCT), which is also used during vitreoretinal surgery and may be integrated with the optics of a surgical microscope.
Furthermore, during vitreoretinal surgery, one common procedure that a surgeon may perform is peeling of membranes located on or above the vitreoretinal interface. For example, peeling of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) is performed during vitreoretinal surgery treatment of a variety of retinal conditions. Membrane peeling is a standard procedure in many vitreoretinal surgeries. However, vitreoretinal membranes, such as the ILM, are very thin and nearly transparent. Therefore, membrane peeling is a challenging task even for experienced vitreoretinal surgeons.